A city with character
Barcelona is an open, vibrant and creative city with a busy cultural, political, business and commercial life. It is a metropolis where every imaginable language can be heard, as well as a city that invites its residents and visitors alike to discover its Catalan culture and traditions. The city of Barcelona is located at a strategic geographical point on the Mediterranean coast of the Iberian peninsula, protected by the Serra de Collserola mountain range, delimited by two river deltas and with privileged natural surroundings. This has given rise to its sustainable growth: the city big en comptes de grand metropolis that is integrated into its surroundings.
The Catalan capital
Barcelona is the capital of Catalonia, a country whose nation boasts a long history, enjoying self-government as an autonomous region in the Spanish State. It is located on the north-east coast of the Iberian peninsula, facing the Mediterranean Sea and bordered by Andorra and France along its north. Catalonia also has its own language, Catalan, which grew out of Latin, as also did Spanish, French, Italian and Portuguese.Catalan is its official language, together with Spanish, and is used regularly in every walk of life. In addition, most of the people working in international trade and the country’s main tourist areas speak English and other languages as well. Barcelona has always attracted people from all over the world, making it even more multilingual and special. It is the people living there, with their different backgrounds and cultures, who make it so cosmopolitan, diverse and intercultural.
Plaça de Sant Jaume concentrates the political life of the city and the Catalan nation. In use since the Middle Ages, Barcelona City Hall and Palau de la Generalitat [Catalan regional government building] are both located in this square. The City Hall houses the Saló de Cent, literally Hall of One Hundred, which was founded in the Middle Ages by King James l, the Conqueror. Since the 14th century, most of Catalonia’s 127 presidents have exercised their authority from the Palau de la Generalitat de Catalunya. The city is also the seat of the Catalan Parliament, Catalonia’s own legislative body, which has been housed in a building in Parc de la Ciutadella since 1980.
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